HOCKEY / LISA DILLMAN : Ordinary Puck Is Big, but a ‘Yelnats Puc’ Would Be Huge

As trades go, the Bob Kudelski deal wasn’t exactly front-page material in Los Angeles. He was acquired by the Ottawa Senators in the late hours of Dec. 19 when the Kings were in Calgary. About 1 a.m. on Dec. 20, he met with the traveling Los Angeles press corps--a huge contingent of three, up from the usual two.

That Monday, Kudelski showed in Ottawa for his first practice. He was greeted by a slightly larger group.

“That morning there were 15 to 20 reporters waiting for me,” said Kudelski, who has scored seven goals and nine points for Ottawa. “TV crews. It really hit me that the trade was a big deal. Everything is hockey in Ottawa. People recognize all the players. There’s a lot of different articles--every day, not just when the Kings are in town.”

When Wayne Gretzky and the Kings were in Ottawa last week, there was probably more coverage regarding Gretzky than there would have been for a royal visit. It was almost like a royal visit with pages upon pages of fawning stories about Gretzky’s every word and every gesture.

Hockey takes on such major importance in Ottawa that even a lesser presence than Gretzky can gain unprecedented attention. Kudelski himself was on the front pages of Ottawa’s newspapers when he scored the franchise’s first hat trick during a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, a result that sent the city into a joyous frenzy. It was the Senators’ fourth victory of the season and they haven’t won since.

In fact, Ottawa’s futility has become a standing feature in the Ottawa Citizen the day after every game. There is a small box, which is titled, “Road to the Yelnats Puc.” That’s Stanley Cup spelled backward.

The record of the Senators is compared to the record of the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, the worst-ever NHL team. That season, Washington went 8-67-5 for 21 points. After 48 games, the Senators are 4-41-3 for 11 points. Reportedly, club chairman Bruce Firestone was not amused by the feature.

Still, Yelnats Puc lives on.

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As the air finally began to clear in New York in the aftermath of Roger Neilson vs. Mark Messier, here comes the Mike Richter saga to preoccupy the Rangers.

For the first time in two years, Richter has been the goaltender mentioned in trade talks for the last month, not John Vanbiesbrouck. Last Friday, the Rangers sent Richter to their minor league affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y.

It’s almost certain that Richter will be traded before the deadline, especially when this week he questioned his lack of support from the Ranger organization.

“You need support in this game,” he told the New York Times. “I mean, you expect the fans to boo you sometimes and you deal with that. But you need the support of your coaches and your teammates. And I’m not sure I had that anymore.”

His relationship with Neilson, the former Ranger coach, started to deteriorate during the playoffs last spring and kept slipping this season.

“I played Pittsburgh and I got pulled, and my confidence goes from bad to worse,” Richter said. “ . . . Roger didn’t say anything about it to me, and I didn’t say anything to him. There wasn’t anything left to say.”

Said Neil Smith, the Rangers’ president and general manager: “This organization is extremely high on Mike Richter and we always have been. That’s why we’re willing to do almost anything to get him going again.”

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Fans in Detroit apparently were spoiled by last season’s excellent record at home, 24-12-4. Slightly past the halfway mark this season, the Red Wings are 15-11-2 at home.

As soon as the Red Wings fall behind, the spectators start booing, reserving some extra wrath for goaltender Tim Cheveldae. Now, the players are actually preferring to go on the road.

They knew what the reaction would have been if they had fallen behind, 3-0, to the Flyers in Detroit Sunday. But the game was in Philadelphia, and the Red Wings rallied for a 7-4 victory.

“Thank goodness we weren’t at home, we would have been booed out of the building,” defenseman Steve Chiasson said.

Said Cheveldae: “It would have been tough being down, 3-0. But we can play a patient hockey game on the road. . . . I remember last year after Christmas, we lost some games at home and nothing was happening. They gave us a little leeway. It just seems as though they’re waiting for something negative to happen now. Every guy has five, 10, 15 fans out there waiting for him to screw up.”

The Red Wings have been talking trade with the Oilers. Edmonton wants Red Wing center Dallas Drake, but Detroit general manager and coach Bryan Murray is reluctant to part with Drake. However, center Keith Primeau, a rugged 6-foot-5 youngster, has become available. Primeau has been playing left wing on the fourth line and is unhappy.

Primeau, incidentally, played for Coach Barry Melrose of the Kings during the last two seasons with Adirondack. He had 21 goals, 45 points and 89 penalty minutes there last season and credits Melrose for helping him turn his play around.

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Add another name to the list of candidates for the job of Anaheim’s general manager: Pierre Gauthier, the Quebec Nordiques’ scouting chief, is expected the be interviewed for the position. Word is that the price for former Chicago general manager and coach Mike Keenan was way too high.

Gauthier is regarded as one of the bright young talents among NHL types. And he’s certainly had experience at selecting high picks with the Nordiques.

Quebec’s top draft choice in 1989 was Mats Sundin, and the next year it was Owen Nolan. Also in ‘90, the Nordiques drafted Andrei Kovalenko--148th overall--and he has 16 goals and 36 points in 44 games, putting him sixth among rookie scoring leaders.